To Infinity and Beyond
by icyboots
Summary: [Sephiroth/Cloud]. Collection of AU oneshots. Prompt-I: prison-psychic/ghost whisperer-detective/investigation. "Vincent Valentine was a high-profiled detective who died in mysterious circumstances twenty two years ago. His case was never solved, forever considered to be a cold one."


There was this list of au prompts where you mix them up to get a new thing, so I thought of making a series of au oneshots out of them.

**Title:** The Valentine Case.

**Prompt:** prison + psychic/ghost whisperer + detective/investigation.

**Summary:** Vincent Valentine was a high-profiled detective who died in mysterious circumstances twenty two years ago. His case was never solved, forever considered to be a cold one.

* * *

><p><strong>To Infinity and Beyond<strong>

The Valentine Case

* * *

><p>The misty air and the dark mountains of Nibelheim were the same as ever, giving the same old impression not to dare tread.<p>

Cloud always thought that he would one day return to his hometown… just not by going to prison.

"Get moving, Spiky!" a guard shouted, pulling him away from his musings and making him face the reality that the facility he was entering was to be his home for the next three years.

He was short on money, but he _probably_ shouldn't have tried to rob that Shinra bank.

As he glanced around his cell, he couldn't help but think that even if he was a mountain boy through and through, his cell was rather cold.

With a shrug, Cloud decided not to dwell too much on it in favor of sleeping - a non-stop flight from Midgar to Nibelheim was a nightmare for a motion-sick individual like himself - and closed his eyes, resigning himself to his new life.

* * *

><p>When he learned that he had a cell for him alone, Cloud was relieved; he wasn't the most social guy and besides, this wasn't exactly the best environment to establish friendships.<p>

Supposedly, he was all alone, but now he was very sure that he _wasn't._

He was a light-sleeper, so when he heard a slight shift, he woke up just in time to see a flash of red.

Alarmed, Cloud asked in forced calmness, his eyes looking around his cell for anything he could use as a weapon, "Who's there?"

He saw more red as the person approached, and it was when the person was standing right next to his bed that Cloud realized that the red he saw previously was some sort of a cape.

He looked up and saw a pale face, crimson eyes staring at him with clear confusion.

"Who are you?" the person's - the man - voice was deep and calm, as if he hadn't invaded his cell in the dead of the night. His appearance was so ethereal and so out of the norm that Cloud wondered if he was having a nightmare.

"No, you're not," the man said, and Cloud realized that he voiced his question aloud.

When the man shifted as he waited for his answer, his body caught the faint moonlight that seeped into his cell, going right through him and making it rather obvious what his true nature was.

A lost spirit.

No, it wasn't a nightmare, but it was something close.

* * *

><p><em>When Cloud was eight, he got his first friend - was still friends with him even with a full year passing. He was a nice man whose name was Oz - who always, <strong>always<strong> looked at him with a mixture of fondness and sadness._

_"Do you know why Oz looks so sad, mom?" he decided to ask his mother one day. She always offered help whenever he asked about anything that confused or intrigued him about Oz - even when she couldn't see him. Actually, no one besides him did for some reason - so this case shouldn't be different, right?_

_His mother paused cutting the vegetables, a considering look in her eyes. "Have you tried asking him about it?"_

_Cloud nodded. "Yup, he just smiles and says nothing. Oh, and that he's sorry for not making it."_

_"Making it?" his mother repeated, confused._

_"Yeah, for your birthday!" Cloud beamed at that. "He always apologizes for that, and for not being there for you." Now that he thought about it, Oz always asked about his mother, how well she was doing. He was a real worry-wart, that's for sure._

_Instead of being amused like she always was, his mother suddenly became very still, her eyes wide as she asked slowly, "Cloud… what does your friend look like?"_

_That was an easy question! "His hair is brownish and he has these really blue eyes. He wears a grey suit and a red and yellow spotted tie, it's really dorky!"_

_The knife his mother was holding dropped on the floor._

* * *

><p><em>"This is for your own good," his mother said, her smile forced as she took him to a specialist.<em>

_The pills he had to take from that day onwards didn't sit well with him despite their colorfulness - like candy but brighter - but he wasn't one to defy his mother._

_And maybe it was just him, but he felt that the population of Nibelheim lessened, the people he saw on everyday basis as he played outside - all by himself - now nowhere to be seen._

_He didn't see Oz anymore._

* * *

><p>If you ignored the fact that he was a lost spirit that claimed to be visited by tormenting demons every day, you could find that Vincent Valentine - it was one of the few things he could remember about himself, so Cloud made sure to memorize it at the very least despite its somewhat flowery nature - was a pleasant enough company.<p>

"How long were you like this?" Cloud asked on day twelve - after finally,_ finally_ getting used to the way Vincent liked to pop out of nowhere whenever he had something to say.

"I don't know," Vincent answered, frowning in thought before he gestured vaguely. "It wasn't like this, though."

"It wasn't what?" He and Vincent really had to work on their communication; he didn't get half of what was said from the first time. Vincent's neutral expression didn't help him deciphering what he meant, either.

"This place. It wasn't a prison."

* * *

><p><em>Being the only son to a single mom - and fifteen, at that - meant that he had to help in any way he could if he wanted to get anything - mainly taking any job he was offered: babysitting, dog-walking, car-washing, you name it and he was on it. That fact didn't change when he and his mother moved to Midgar. The jobs both of them took actually increased tenfold upon moving there.<em>

_His latest gig was lawn-mowing for the Gainsboroughs, a very nice duo of a mother, Elmyra, and her adopted daughter, Aerith._

_Aerith, especially, seemed to treat him nicer - her mom probably heard about his habit of picking fights at the slightest gesture, so she was understandably a bit wary. Still, unlike the many city-folk he encountered, both were pretty chill about him and often invited him in to have something to drink or eat - or in Aerith's case, inviting him to help with the flowers she planted in the back-yard. He honestly couldn't understand how she had the time to tend to them, not with the job she had at __Midgar's Bureau of Investigations._

_There was one day where he took his pills while on the job, not having time to take them in his hurry. He found himself with Aerith looking in concern at him, and before she could reach to any wrong conclusions, he quickly explained, "They're prescribed, you can go ask my mom if you want."_

_Aerith shook her head, for the moment seeming to believe him before she asked, "What are they for?"_

_Oh, Hel. How could he explain the reason without the risk of getting fired? "Sometimes… I see stuff."_

_Aerith didn't look ready to bolt, which was a good sign so far. She only frowned in more concern. "What stuff?"_

_Like ripping a band-aid, Cloud quickly answered, eyes averted, "People I shouldn't see. Dead people."_

_"Oh…" was Aerith's only response, which got him to look at her, only to see her smiling._

_"There's nothing wrong with that, Cloud," she said, and Cloud wanted to very much to laugh.  
><em>

_But then Aerith continued, "I'm like you, I see the people that passed on from life on regular basis. It took me quite a while to accept it, but when I did I realized that I could help so many people with it. I still don't consider it a gift, but I'm no longer thinking of it as a curse either. It's an extra ability, that's all."_

_He should've probably denied, tell her that she was out of her mind and that no one was able to see the dead, that he was only making up illusions and not seeing something that was real - that he didn't actually **see** his **dead father.**_

_But all Cloud felt was immense relief, because for once someone understood._

_Aerith took his hand in hers as she talked about more about their shared abilities, and Cloud realized that she probably felt the same, too._

_That was the day he decided to stop taking the pills._

_That day was also the day he last saw Aerith._

* * *

><p>Cloud quickly learned that his looks made him a target. The other prisoners quickly learned that his looks didn't mean he wouldn't rearrange their facial structure.<p>

Much to his - _and_ Vincent's - amusement, he gained a reputation, one that basically told everyone that he wasn't worth the effort, to leave him the fuck alone unless they wanted to have the same fate as that Corneo guy.

His newly-gained reputation made it much easier to ask around about the prison's history, a fact that he quickly took advantage of.

According to a couple of lifers, the prison was a morgue twenty years ago, give or take a year or two.

And according to his search on the computer at the prison's library - that he was very ashamed he didn't know it existed until now - Vincent Valentine was a high-profiled detective who died in mysterious circumstances twenty-two years ago. His case was never solved, forever considered to be a cold one.

Vincent stood right next to him as he searched with a confused look in his eyes, seemingly not recognizing his own face.

"It's the same, you know, your face." The only thing different about the ghostly Vincent was that he didn't wear a suit, his hair was longer, and he had a golden-clawed hand and very pointy shoes. "It didn't change."

Vincent didn't seem that much assured, so Cloud tried another angle. "Do you remember anything from your life, anything at all?" Even simple things would be better than nothing at all at this point.

Much to his surprise, Vincent had an answer, "A name."

That got Cloud's full attention. "What is it?"

"Lucrecia. Lucrecia Crescent."

* * *

><p><em>"You love mom, right?"<em>

_The crimson-eyed man sure didn't expect this when he was tasked with babysitting him while his mother was out of town, judging from the way he only blinked upon being asked. But Sephiroth couldn't help himself from asking; it was painfully obvious, so why deny?_

_"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"_

_"Just because. Why won't you tell her?"_

_The man smiled at that, ruffling his hair. "Just because."_

* * *

><p>"You're still reading that case's file?"<p>

That awoke him from his musings, and he looked up to see his partner, Zack Fair, grinning at him.

Instead of answering, though, Sephiroth merely raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're no fun, Seph." It was hard to believe that a grown man could pout the way Zack did, but the expression somehow worked, giving the impression of a kicked puppy. "Anyway, there's a guy claiming to have a lead on some case. He requested you personally."

"And?"

"_And_ he's a prisoner," Zack added, grinning as if assured he got his interest.

Which he did. "I see."

"Yeah, all the way from Nibelheim, can you believe that?"

Nibelheim? "Did he specify which case he has information about?"

Zack hummed thoughtfully before he answered, "Not really, but he says it's an old one."

After a moment of consideration, Sephiroth sighed. "This better be worth my time."

* * *

><p>Lucrecia Crescent was a brilliant genetics researcher. She won many awards for her outstanding efforts in finding cures for genetically-inherited diseases.<p>

Also, she was dead.

The sorrow in Vincent's eyes passed so quickly that he barely caught it, but Cloud knew he remembered something.

"Search for any relatives." There was a desperate edge in Vincent's voice, so he immediately did as told, and he blessedly got one result.

Cloud wondered if working in the genetics field guaranteed one's offspring's attractive looks, because Sephiroth Crescent, son of Lucrecia and a detective at Midgar's Bureau of Investigations, definitely won the genetic jack-pot.

"You're staring," Vincent noted dully.

He told him that he was staring yet again when Sephiroth entered the prison's interrogation room, and well, how couldn't he when the reality proved to be much more captivating than what a small picture in a random article could capture?

Vincent cleared his throat. It was kind of weird given how ghosts shouldn't have throats to clear.

_Still_, this wasn't the time to ogle gorgeous men or to muse about the inner workings of the dead. He had Vincent to think of.

"Cloud Strife, twenty-two, attempted bank robbery, and no previous record," Sephiroth looked up from the file he was reading to ask, "what do you have for me?"

For once in his life, Cloud wanted to give a flirty comeback, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came to mind so he opted to be direct; no use in making the moves on a guy when he was in prison. "This might sound crazy… I can see Vincent Valentine."

* * *

><p>Her appearance clashed with those that surrounded her, yet she seamlessly seemed to fit in. A rookie at the time, Sephiroth usually didn't participate in many cases, at least not as much as her.<p>

Aerith Gainsborough was a consultant in cold cases. She was always so determined to solve whatever case that came her way, even at her own expense. The look on her face was so similar to the one this prisoner had as he requested, almost pleadingly, for Vincent Valentine's case to be opened.

He certainly didn't believe in ghost stories nor did he believe in those that claimed to live them, but he had wanted an excuse to open that case for a while now.

"You're right, it does sound ridiculous..." The prisoner looked at his right, his expression crestfallen. Sephiroth wondered what he was imagining seeing there, "but I'll consider if you tell me something worthwhile."

When the prisoner stayed quiet for a moment too long, Sephiroth got up. He was at the door when he heard the prisoner saying, "Lucrecia Crescent, that's the only name he remembers besides his own." When he turned around, he found the prisoner looking at him with an intensely serious expression, almost challenging in its defiance. "It's how I found out about you."

They continued staring at each other, thick silence choking the room, before Sephiroth turned his heel and left without a word.

Zack, who was apparently standing outside the whole time, asked him immediately, "What now?"

Sephiroth looked back at the room from the mirror. The prisoner was looking at his left now.

"We're staying."

* * *

><p><em>"Where's Vincent?"<em>

_His mother didn't answer, but the way she clenched her fists, the way she held him tight was enough._

_There was a funeral three days later. Vincent looked like he was only asleep, so much that he wanted to protest when they closed the coffin's lid._

* * *

><p>He was staying in Nibelheim for two weeks now, six days of them being spent on visiting Cloud.<p>

And between being in a state of disbelief at what he was doing and attempting to track the last whereabouts of his mother's friend's _ghost_, Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder about a thing that wasn't necessarily tied to this case.

"What do you hope of gaining from this?" he asked Cloud when he was done relaying what Vincent informed him of - that he remembered doing something like this, working on a case shortly before he found himself _stuck_.

Cloud looked confused, the look slowly fading to be replaced with slight offense upon processing the question. "Nothing. I'm just trying to help Vincent."

"Why? Solving his case won't help out with yours." He put the file of all the cases Vincent took part in front of Cloud, and putting one hand on the small desk, he leaned down to lock his eyes to Cloud's - to detect what he was hiding, or simply because he liked the way they looked defiantly at him, only to get sidetracked lingering on his mouth before going back up.

"He's a friend, that's all there is to it. I'm not letting him stay like this any longer."

Alright, so he had to admit it was most probably the second reason.

Sephiroth took in Cloud's nicely-toned forearms, the half annoyed, half lidded look his blue eyes cast him and thought _if only_ he was a regular civilian instead of an inmate...

What a waste.

* * *

><p>"How did you die?" That was one question Cloud wanted to avoid, because none of the spirits he encountered handled their deaths well. But he had to for Vincent's sake.<p>

He wondered if Vincent blessedly forgot about it, but it seemed his friend wasn't that lucky.

"I was shot."

* * *

><p>"Shot?" Sephiroth raised a fine eyebrow at that, frowning in a way that told that he wasn't quite believing him. "The file clearly states that he was found dead in his apartment. No trace of bullets or struggle was written on the autopsy report."<p>

"I trust his memories." So far, they haven't let him down, but Sephiroth wasn't as faithful as he was. Disbelieving as ever. What did he see in him anyway? Besides the looks, the charming personality, the attractive wit, that sensual voi-

_Vincent. Remember Vincent_. "What if he actually died... here?" Cloud asked, his question seemingly throwing Sephiroth off.

"Here? In this prison?"

"Well, it was a morgue in his time but yeah. Like your typical ghost story, lost spirits like Vincent's tend to linger on the place they died. It's kinda out of place that Vincent is here instead of his apartment in Rocket Town, don't you think?" Wait, maybe he was onto something here. "If you think about it, everything Vincent remembers besides his name relates to his death."

"Even my mother's name..." It wasn't a question, not with the way Sephiroth suddenly closed up.

Cloud slowly nodded, thankful that Vincent wasn't with them at the moment.

"What was Vincent to you?"

For a moment he thought Sephiroth wouldn't answer, but then he averted his eyes and started speaking, "He was the one my mother called to look after me when she wasn't at home, a weird uncle with creepy eyes, and he was my first ever friend. He always told me that I had the makings of a great detective, even when I was too young to know any better."

So it was personal for him. Losing Vincent pained him still.

"Well, detective, we're going to solve this, even if it took us another twenty years." Cloud pretended to look through some files, too embarrassed by his awkward attempt at comforting to look at Sephiroth, even if he felt his eyes on him.

* * *

><p><em>The first Friday after the funeral went on normally enough, he went to school and came back on time. It wasn't until it reached six in the evening and he wondered why Vincent was late that he remembered, closing the storybook Vincent still didn't finish reading with him.<em>

_He never opened that book again._

* * *

><p>"So I heard about the case you've taken." Hojo's voice was as cold on the phone as it was in person. "When will you stop living in the past, boy?"<p>

It was as cold when Vincent died, and it was as cold when his mother followed soon after.

"When I get closure," Sephiroth answered before he hung up.

He probably should've taken that call as a sign; nothing good happened after anything his so-called father did.

"It's warden Wallace," was what Zack said when he met him at the inn's hall, expression fallen out of its usual cheer. "Your prisoner was found unconscious this morning. They say it's serious, Seph."

When Sephiroth managed to get to the hospital, he saw Cloud laid out and unmoving, features peaceful as if asleep. Just like Vincent - just like his mother.

"There's hope for him," the doctor assured. "Mako is an old drug that was supposed to cure genetic mutations, but is now banned all over the globe. An antidote was developed a few years ago, and although it's not always guaranteed depending on the severity of the condition, the inmate is still lucky. Ten or more years ago? He would've thought to be dead and would've died if left untreated."

Sephiroth hoped so, he really did.

* * *

><p><em>His mother was getting weaker, so much that she could barely leave the bed. Still, he could hear her and Hojo arguing. She was upset about something and Hojo was dismissing her. He thought he heard Vincent's name mentioned a couple of times.<em>

_His mother died a week later._

* * *

><p>Asleep.<p>

The puzzle pieces finally fit together.

* * *

><p><em>He and his mother got into a car accident, and while he survived it with no major injuries, his mother didn't.<em>

_The moment he woke up and was told about what happened to him, he ran immediately towards the room they were operating on his mother in, disregarding the nurses' protests. He got on time just to see the doctors announcing the time of death - just to see the spirit of his mother looking in disbelief at her dead body, and then looking at him, so utterly horrified as she whispered his name._

_Cloud didn't remember anything that happened afterwards, but he remembered screaming, wishing his eyes didn't prove his loss._

* * *

><p>Cloud was standing in a flower field that expanded endlessly as far as he could see. He felt so much at peace that it startled him when a hand lightly tapped on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was, only to be met by the bright smile of one Aerith Gainsborough.<p>

"You grew taller."

Cloud blinked, taking in the fact it was really her he was seeing. She looked and dressed just like he last remembered her... "You're... dead?"

Weirdly enough, Aerith looked rather amused. "Maybe by your standards. I'm still kicking here."

"And where_ is_ here?" Cloud gestured vaguely at the field.

"Where we move on to." She looked to the side then, as if catching sight of something. Following her gaze, Cloud's breath hitched when he saw his mother and the man he learned to be his father walking side-by-side, looking happy and content in a way he hadn't seen in them. "It was difficult for them both, but after a long time, they managed to get their closures. They miss you terribly and constantly watch over you. Your mom is mad about the prison thing by the way."

Cloud groaned. "It was a mistake. No need for the reminder."

Aerith didn't even bother hiding her giggle. "Robbing a Shinra bank? I always knew you were a punk, kid."

"Hey, I'm taller than you now." He couldn't believe he was huffing.

"I'm still older."

When he looked more carefully, he could see more and more people walking and interacting around them, and it made him wonder. "Am I dead?"

"No, you're not. You're just special." Cloud raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm glad you're helping Vincent out, he's been lingering for too long."

"If he can be happier here, then I'll try my hardest to get him out of there." Even if he didn't exactly know how he would be able to in this state.

Aerith hummed thoughtfully. "I think there's someone you should meet." She urged him to follow her, and he did, stopping in his tracks upon seeing who Aerith was leading him to.

"Pleasure to meet you, Cloud," Lucrecia Crescent greeted.

* * *

><p>Cloud felt fingers smoothing his bangs away from his eyes, the pleasant feeling vanishing when he stirred awake to see Sephiroth standing by his bedside, a look Cloud couldn't believe was relieved in his eyes.<p>

"Welcome back." Gaia, it felt good to hear Sephiroth's voice again, more so than the usual.

Even though he couldn't _move_. "Ugh... I feel like shit."

"Mako does that to you, I've been told." Sephiroth was doing something... wait, was he _fluffing_ his pillow?

He wasn't dreaming still, was he? "So got any leads while I was out of it?"

"You almost died because of this case, Cloud, and you know it." Sephiroth's tone was serious, clipped.

Cloud was rather confused about that. "Why do you even care, though? I'm just a prisoner."

Sephiroth stared, baffled, pinching his nose and letting out a heavy sigh before he finally addressed him, "You're an idiot."

Deciding to ignore Sephiroth's odd behavior for the moment, Cloud asked again, "Got any leads? Because I have something that could help."

With another sigh - this one was far more resigned - Sephiroth pulled a chair to sit by his side. "It's missing some details, but I have a theory."

"I think the culprit drugged Vincent with Mako, and being a rare and untraceable drug at the time, it made Vincent appear as if he were dead. The only morgue near by was Nibelheim's so he was transported there. I imagine that Vincent woke up before any real autopsy could be done on him, and he was shot in the process."

The fact that Sephiroth actually bothered to make a conclusion based on what he told him before stunned him. "So you're starting to believe me?"

"I think I have a suspect, but I don't have enough evidence," Sephiroth quickly continued, perhaps hoping to divert his attention.

He was successful. "Who?"

"Hojo, a forensic expert. My father."

Oh. Well, what he could say to that? "What makes you think he did it?"

"He worked with Vincent before his death, and was the only forensic expert around at the time - the only who would have full access, but his motive remains unclear."

Lucrecia's words came into mind then and Cloud paused. "Maybe not."

* * *

><p>The old Shinra mansion was still sturdy despite no one tending to it for years. Avoiding to touch the dusty surfaces as much as possible, Sephiroth looked for anything hidden.<p>

_"There's something in the Shinra mansion."_

_"And that something is?"_

_"I don't know really, all I've been told is that Vincent hid it there."_

Well, this _something_ could be anywhere.

"Thank you, Cloud Strife, for your helpful instructions."

The wall he was leaning on shifted then, and upon pushing it further, a secret room was revealed.

"Unbelievable," Sephiroth muttered.

It didn't take long to figure what Vincent hid. With fascination, Sephiroth read the case-file, noting on how his and Vincent's approach on investigation was quite alike. It was a reminder of why he became a detective himself, reading about the last case Vincent Valentine took.

The S-002 case.

According to the file, the case started with the murder of a high-profiled businessman. The man was found dead in his room and many check-ups proved to be useless to determine what caused his death. Vincent's investigation led him to Nibelheim, where he discovered that Shinra, a pharmaceutical company that now expanded into a mega business empire, made a drug that was supposed to help with genetic mutations called Mako. The drug, however, was reported to have many fatalities within test-subjects and was immediately banned. Shinra, however, secretly developed the drug further and sold it in the black-market for anyone who was willing. The businessman's murder was just another assassination that Mako was used in for its properties.

Mako development was funded by many, and one of them was Hojo.

* * *

><p>"And Vincent having such evidence would put both Hojo and Shinra in deep shit," Cloud trailed off. Now back in prison again, only extra monitored.<p>

"No one's gonna assassinate anyone in _my_ fucking prison!" Sephiroth remembered warden Wallace exclaiming, obviously relieved when Cloud showed up alive and well. He knew that Cloud helped the warden with fixing up his prosthetic arm from time to time, befriending each other along the way, and he also knew that the warden cared a great deal about him despite how much he denied it.

"Now we have the motive..."

"But not how the murder wen- Vincent?" Cloud looked at his side, concerned.

It was enough to make Sephiroth concerned himself. "What is it?"

Eyes widening, Cloud breathed. "Vincent... he remembers now."

* * *

><p>"My search led me to Hojo, and after investigating more about him, I learned that the bastard conducted his own experiments with Mako, fusing it with lethal viruses and used Lucrecia as a test subject while she was pregnant with Sephiroth. When I confronted her about it, she told me that her child had an incurable mutation. She didn't want to lose him so she let Hojo do what he must, even at the cost of her own life."<p>

"Hojo learned about our confrontation and it was soon that I found myself lying on a cold metal bed with Hojo about to cut me open. Our struggle had us in an evidence room. I was too weakened by Mako to defend myself physically, so I looked for anything to help me survive. There was an open locker, labeled J-E-N-O-V-A, and it had a gun. I grabbed it, but Hojo managed to overpower me in my state and I found myself... like this."

Until this moment, Vincent was unaware of his death. As Cloud relayed Vincent's words to Sephiroth - Sephiroth's eyes widening with every word - he wondered which was better, to remember or to forget?

"Do you think that gun still has your fingers-prints on it if found?" Sephiroth was clearly addressing Vincent now instead of pretending that he wasn't in the room. The half shocked, half grateful expression on Vincent's features made Cloud smile.

* * *

><p>"Apparently, a while after Vincent's murder, the morgue was closed and this prison was built on it. The evidence-room's contents were moved to Junon."<p>

"You managed to track the gun?" Cloud asked, eating the cookies Marlene, the warden's daughter, helped baking.

"What do you think?" No one should make a smirk that sinfully attractive, especially an officer of the law.

"You're awfully enthusiastic about arresting your father."

Sephiroth shrugged. "I never liked him."

The simplicity of his answer almost got Cloud choking on the cookies.

* * *

><p>With the help of chief Veld - who was once Vincent's partner - and his lawyer friend, Angeal, they made a strong case against Hojo, and he was soon found guilty. Arrangements for Shinra to follow were being planned.<p>

"Too long a while had passed since that incident. I suppose I let my guard down so late into the game." It wasn't the usual sneer Sephiroth was always regarded with, but a plain intrigue, as if it was the first time Hojo took notice of him. "To be arrested, by my own son..."

"Are you angry about that?" Sephiroth wished he was instead of this new territory he wasn't familiar with.

"No, I'm proud, actually." Before Sephiroth could even begin to think of a reply to _that_, Hojo was escorted out to serve his sentence.

It was fortunate, because hours later, Sephiroth still couldn't think of something to say.

* * *

><p>Sephiroth had no reason to visit him anymore now that the Valentine Case finally got its proper closure, but Cloud guessed he wanted to say goodbye for once.<p>

It was hard, saying goodbye, he never had many friends, and despite his state, he considered Vincent to be one of the real few. He'd miss him and his stoic strangeness terribly. Sephiroth felt the same if not more, Cloud was sure. From what he shared, Vincent was a lot of things for Sephiroth, a friend, a role-model, and the reason why he became a detective.

"Thank you, both of you." It was simple, but Cloud knew that Vincent didn't know how to convey his gratefulness any other way, and when he relayed Vincent's thanks to Sephiroth, the other seemed to understand that as well.

As he slowly faded, Vincent smiled in a way Cloud swore it was teasing. "Take care of him." Gesturing vaguely towards Sephiroth.

Cloud couldn't help himself from flushing the slightest bit. "I'm in prison, Vincent."

"Not forever, though."

"Vincent, _no_." Sephiroth looked rather curious. Great. He would never evade his questions now. "See you later."

Vincent smiled. "Hopefully not soon."

Before completely fading away, Vincent put his hand on Sephiroth's head, a gesture Cloud thought he made many times in the past.

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Cloud told him that he met his mother while he was unconscious at the hospital, that she was the one who pointed towards the Shinra mansion - that she constantly watched over him.<p>

"She told me that you always make her smile."

And the thing was, Sephiroth believed him. Utterly and unquestioningly so.

* * *

><p><em>Cloud started taking the pills again, unable to bear with the reminder. School was out of question, so he took many jobs with barely any breaks in between. And yet, he was still so tight on money.<em>

_It had reached to the degree where he couldn't afford the pills anymore, and immediately, his world was filled with spirits._

_Robbing the Shinra bank seemed like a good idea in his desperation. He just didn't want to see the dead anymore._

* * *

><p>By a few recommendations, Cloud got a deal. If he helped Midgar's Bureau of Investigations with consulting in cases, his time would be cut by a year. Saying that he was just like Aerith helped with people not getting too nosy about the exact nature of his help - he learned that she died while on the job. The bureau still had her pictures and awards around, and Cloud was glad for it.<p>

It was an offer he simply couldn't refuse, especially when he was given the chance to get out of prison every time his help was needed.

Sure, he was handcuffed through it all, and some officers didn't seem to like him - the feeling was mutual - but it was still leagues better than _prison._

"I still think these handcuffs are unnecessary," Sephiroth said, just like he did every time he met up with him on a new case, before dragging him to an unmonitored corner and kissing him hurriedly, full of frustration and longing - sentiments that Cloud returned in kind.

There was also this.

Honestly, Cloud didn't know how_ this_ even began. One moment they were talking and discussing like usual, the other found them pressed against each other in a surprisingly heated kiss that left both of them breathless and wanting more.

It ended shortly, though, it always did.

He was honestly dazed by how Sephiroth tried his hardest to fix them both up, seemingly in a struggle not to let his touches linger before other officers arrived. Pretending to have a clue he wanted to share in secret, Cloud whispered into Sephiroth's ear, "I can't wait until these six months end."

Cloud held back a laugh when he heard Sephiroth let out a soft groan, fighting so hard to remain the picture of the composed detective he was known as.

It appeared even when he was still in prison, he somehow managed to score with the genetic-lottery-winning detective.

"Strife, come look here!"

He could get used to this job, this way of life, Cloud mused, helping spirits to move on.

He was finally ready to see.


End file.
